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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wake — a trail
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kid — child
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — of water
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. toast — bread
  20. pop — soda
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com